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IQ #4
Hi Five
IQ is back - and working a case that involves juggling many more personalities than he expected.
Cristiana is the daughter of the biggest arms dealers on the West Coast, Angus Byrne. She's also the sole witness and number one suspect in the murder of her boyfriend, found dead in her Newport Beach boutique.
Isaiah Quintabe is coerced into taking the case to prove her innocence. If he can't, Angus will harm the brilliant PI's new girlfriend, ending her career.
The catch: Christiana has multiple personalities. Five radically different ones. Among them, a naïve, beautiful shopkeeper, an obnoxious drummer in a rock band, and a wanton seductress.
Isaiah's dilemma: No one personality saw the entire incident. To find out what really happened the night of the murder, Isaiah must piece together clues from each of the personalities - before the cops catch up.
Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
Cristiana is the daughter of the biggest arms dealers on the West Coast, Angus Byrne. She's also the sole witness and number one suspect in the murder of her boyfriend, found dead in her Newport Beach boutique.
Isaiah Quintabe is coerced into taking the case to prove her innocence. If he can't, Angus will harm the brilliant PI's new girlfriend, ending her career.
The catch: Christiana has multiple personalities. Five radically different ones. Among them, a naïve, beautiful shopkeeper, an obnoxious drummer in a rock band, and a wanton seductress.
Isaiah's dilemma: No one personality saw the entire incident. To find out what really happened the night of the murder, Isaiah must piece together clues from each of the personalities - before the cops catch up.
Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
Audible Audio
First published January 28, 2020
579 people are currently reading
2955 people want to read
About the author
Joe Ide
11 books1,127 followersJoe Ide is of Japanese American descent. He grew up in South Central Los Angeles, an economically depressed area with a largely black population. Gangs and street crime were rampant. Like a lot of kids, Joe wanted to belong and his speech, style, musical tastes and attitudes reflected the neighborhood.
His favorite books were the Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories. That a person could make his way in the world and vanquish his enemies with just his intelligence fascinated him.
Eventually, he went on to university and received a graduate degree in education. He worked as a school teacher, a college lecturer, a corporate middle manager and director of an NGO that offered paralegal services and emergency shelter to abused women and children. He went on to write screenplays for a number of major studios but none of the projects came to fruition.
It was then he decided to write his debut novel, IQ, about an unlicensed, underground detective; a character inspired by his early experiences and love of Sherlock Holmes.
Joe lives in Santa Monica, California, with his wife and Golden Retriever, Gusto.
His favorite books were the Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories. That a person could make his way in the world and vanquish his enemies with just his intelligence fascinated him.
Eventually, he went on to university and received a graduate degree in education. He worked as a school teacher, a college lecturer, a corporate middle manager and director of an NGO that offered paralegal services and emergency shelter to abused women and children. He went on to write screenplays for a number of major studios but none of the projects came to fruition.
It was then he decided to write his debut novel, IQ, about an unlicensed, underground detective; a character inspired by his early experiences and love of Sherlock Holmes.
Joe lives in Santa Monica, California, with his wife and Golden Retriever, Gusto.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 517 reviews
February 2, 2020
CHAOTIC
Hi Five finds our hero, Isaiah Quintabe, aka IQ, off his game. In fact, all of the regular characters in this series, except for Deonda, are struggling.
IQ is forced into helping an arms dealer’s daughter prove her innocence of a crime. The daughter, Christiana, has multiple personalities making his job harder than normal.
No longer working with Dodson, IQ is somewhat lost in a world he doesn’t fully understand. When he sees his former girlfriend, Grace, back in town after a two year absence, his life spirals. Dodson is also off his game. Depressed, fat, and bored he must find a job when Cherise gives him an ultimatum. Grace has a large storyline focused on trying to find herself as she grapples with accepting her feelings for Isaiah.
Like the characters, I too struggled was struggling...with this book! It was missing the magic of IQ’s brilliance seen in previous installments. I had a hard time connecting and it took me a good while to get into the storyline. There is a great deal of commentary on White Nationalism, politics, and gun violence, and it became repetitive. I also missed the interaction between Dodson and I.Q. Overall, there wasn't much interaction between any of the characters. IQ and Grace have their moments, but most of their time is spent apart. However, TK has one of the best storylines that made me smile. Despite this book’s shortcomings, I still love all of these characters.
This was my least favorite book in the series. It was clear early on that this installment was heading in a different direction than the previous books. It felt a little all over the place, but the ending made it clear that this book was serving to move the series in a new direction. I will still read book number 5 and hope to see IQ back in true form as Sherlock in the Hood!
Hi Five finds our hero, Isaiah Quintabe, aka IQ, off his game. In fact, all of the regular characters in this series, except for Deonda, are struggling.
IQ is forced into helping an arms dealer’s daughter prove her innocence of a crime. The daughter, Christiana, has multiple personalities making his job harder than normal.
No longer working with Dodson, IQ is somewhat lost in a world he doesn’t fully understand. When he sees his former girlfriend, Grace, back in town after a two year absence, his life spirals. Dodson is also off his game. Depressed, fat, and bored he must find a job when Cherise gives him an ultimatum. Grace has a large storyline focused on trying to find herself as she grapples with accepting her feelings for Isaiah.
Like the characters, I too struggled was struggling...with this book! It was missing the magic of IQ’s brilliance seen in previous installments. I had a hard time connecting and it took me a good while to get into the storyline. There is a great deal of commentary on White Nationalism, politics, and gun violence, and it became repetitive. I also missed the interaction between Dodson and I.Q. Overall, there wasn't much interaction between any of the characters. IQ and Grace have their moments, but most of their time is spent apart. However, TK has one of the best storylines that made me smile. Despite this book’s shortcomings, I still love all of these characters.
This was my least favorite book in the series. It was clear early on that this installment was heading in a different direction than the previous books. It felt a little all over the place, but the ending made it clear that this book was serving to move the series in a new direction. I will still read book number 5 and hope to see IQ back in true form as Sherlock in the Hood!
January 31, 2020
This is an interesting addition to the unlicensed PI, Isiah Quintabe series set in LA, by Joe Ide, a Sherlock Holmes in the hood with Juanell Dodson, con man and hustler, as IQ's John Watson. The series has shifted dramatically from the first book, where all IQ's talents and gifts are laid bare. As we learn more about him, Ide has developed Isiah's character, socially awkward, hints that he is on the autism spectrum, he has difficulties when it comes to reading and understanding emotions, and a traumatic past after the murder of his beloved brother, Marcus. He is far from the all action hero, he doesn't the skills and abilities of being ex-military, although he is beginning to acquire some martial arts skills. He has a girlfriend, violinist Stella McDaniels, but his heart is with traumatised artist, Grace Monorova.
IQ and Dodson's relationship is not in a good place, but both men complement each other's skills so well, a more introspective Dodson's abilities are highlighted in comparison to an IQ with his strangest case yet. Beaumont, a local store owner is gunned down in a gang related drive-by shooting and arms dealer, Angus Byrne, wants IQ to investigate the murder of his right hand man and business partner, Tyler Barnes, at his daughter, Christiana's shop, specialising in custom suits. He wants him to find evidence that will exonerate her as the prime suspect. There is no way on earth that IQ wants to work for a man he so utterly despises but Angus is not a man you can refuse. He begins to become aware of the rabbit hole he has fallen into when Gia, Chriatiana's mother, informs him that her daughter suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder. Christiana lives with radically different others, and that includes Pearl, a submissive personality, Marlene, an out there promiscuous character, and Jasper, a not very good drummer in a rock band. IQ has the unenviable task of interviewing each of these personalities, finding they are hard to pin down and disinclined to be helpful, could one of them have ordered the hit on Tyler?
IQ is over the moon when Grace returns to LA, as far as he is concerned, it is no contest, it has always been Grace, but he is determined to protect Stella from Angus's threats. Ide piles on the pressure on a IQ having to re-examine his conscience as he finds himself organising scenarios which result in the loss of life, even though his intentions are good. The narrative carries storylines that reflect contemporary American issues, such as the growth of white supremacy groups, inter-gang warfare, and the proliferation of guns. For me, a particular highlight was the focus on Dodson, his reflections on his life as a family man and his thoughts on the legacy he is likely to leave behind as he visits the dying Beaumont and his son, Merrill, in hospital. This is a brilliantly entertaining addition to the series that sees IQ as the target of every killer in the region and I can't wait to see where Ide takes him next. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.
IQ and Dodson's relationship is not in a good place, but both men complement each other's skills so well, a more introspective Dodson's abilities are highlighted in comparison to an IQ with his strangest case yet. Beaumont, a local store owner is gunned down in a gang related drive-by shooting and arms dealer, Angus Byrne, wants IQ to investigate the murder of his right hand man and business partner, Tyler Barnes, at his daughter, Christiana's shop, specialising in custom suits. He wants him to find evidence that will exonerate her as the prime suspect. There is no way on earth that IQ wants to work for a man he so utterly despises but Angus is not a man you can refuse. He begins to become aware of the rabbit hole he has fallen into when Gia, Chriatiana's mother, informs him that her daughter suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder. Christiana lives with radically different others, and that includes Pearl, a submissive personality, Marlene, an out there promiscuous character, and Jasper, a not very good drummer in a rock band. IQ has the unenviable task of interviewing each of these personalities, finding they are hard to pin down and disinclined to be helpful, could one of them have ordered the hit on Tyler?
IQ is over the moon when Grace returns to LA, as far as he is concerned, it is no contest, it has always been Grace, but he is determined to protect Stella from Angus's threats. Ide piles on the pressure on a IQ having to re-examine his conscience as he finds himself organising scenarios which result in the loss of life, even though his intentions are good. The narrative carries storylines that reflect contemporary American issues, such as the growth of white supremacy groups, inter-gang warfare, and the proliferation of guns. For me, a particular highlight was the focus on Dodson, his reflections on his life as a family man and his thoughts on the legacy he is likely to leave behind as he visits the dying Beaumont and his son, Merrill, in hospital. This is a brilliantly entertaining addition to the series that sees IQ as the target of every killer in the region and I can't wait to see where Ide takes him next. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.
February 29, 2020
This could have been so much better if the author could stay focussed instead of scattering plots and characters throughout. Much of the end is exciting, yet left unfinished and somewhat demoralizing. 6 of 10 stars
January 4, 2022
This is the fourth book in Joe Ide's "IQ" series, about Isaiah Quintabe (nicknamed IQ) - a brilliant twentysomething African-American investigator who lives in East Long Beach, California.
IQ uses Sherlock Holmes-like insights to help his clients, most of whom reside in his ghetto neighborhood.
This addition to the IQ canon occasionally refers to events in previous stories, but the salient details are explained well enough that the book works fine as a standalone.
*****
As the story opens IQ is in a relatively good place, having resolved the death of his brother Marcus - who was killed in a hit-and-run; recovered from the departure of his artist girlfriend Grace Monarova - who went to New Mexico to be with her mother.....
…..and broke with his business partner Juanell Dodson - who tends to get involved in shady (and unsuccessful) financial schemes.
IQ is happy with his work and his new girlfriend Stella McDaniels, who rose from childhood poverty to become first violinist in the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra.
IQ is going about his business when he's snatched off the street and brought to the office of arms dealer Angus Byrne, who needs a capable investigator.
Byrne's daughter Christiana, owner of a custom clothing store, was present when Byrne's right-hand-man Tyler Barnes was killed in her shop.
Christiana was found kneeling beside Tyler's bloody body, and it's likely she'll be arrested for murder.
Byrne, who's the ugliest and meanest SOB on the planet, tells IQ he'd better find the 'real murderer' FAST because if Christiana is even arrested, the hands of IQ's violinist girlfriend will be shattered. Of course this lights a fire under IQ, and he hares off to interview Christiana.
Unfortunately Christiana can't explain what happened because she suffers from multiple personality disorder and her various personalities, called alters, snapped in and out during Tyler's shooting. Thus Christiana herself was only present when Tyler first arrived....and after he was dead.
This state of affairs makes it necessary for IQ to interview each of the four alters, who are:
• Pearl - a shy young woman;
• Marlene - a hot party-girl;
• Jasper - an adolescent drummer;
• and Bertrand - an earnest, protective young man.
IQ has difficulty catching up with all these people, who tend to go their own way and do their own thing. The most amusing personality is young Jasper, who continually calls a woman with ninja skills 'the ninny girl.'
While IQ is trying to learn the truth about Tyler's death he runs into all sorts of trouble, mostly because the conspirators who engineered Tyler's murder have no intention of being caught; IQ sneaks around places he shouldn't be; and IQ gets enmeshed in arms dealer Byrne's plan to sell a VERY dangerous weapon to a drug cartel.
IQ's life is further complicated by the return of his former girlfriend Grace, who's now a neurotic mess with severe anger problems; and by the re-establishment of a connection with his old partner Juanell, who's broke and needs work.
IQ and his friends are endangered by ethnic gang members on one side and Byrne's cadre of far-right thugs on the other side. Thus the book is replete with violence, destruction, and death.
The author, Joe Ide, takes the opportunity to highlight America's current problems with gun violence, self-righteous white nationlists, and the alt.right's hatred of African-Americas, Jews, Mexicans, immigrants, and so on.....all of which is commonly seen in the news these days.
Additional characters in the story include:
• Gia - Christiana's mother, who claims Byrne caused thier daughter's multiple personality problems;
• Beaumont - a store owner injured in a drive-by shooting;
• TK - a salvage-yard owner who'd like to date an uppity church lady;
• Deronda - Dodson's nemesis, who taunts him with her successful food truck business;
• Cambodian gangbangers who do business with IQ; and more.
For me this is the least successful IQ novel to date. IQ exhibits none of the jokiness and sense of humor that made the previous books so much fun; IQ's involvement with two women seems incompatble with his personality; Grace's temper is so off the charts that she's almost intolerable; and the side plots are less then compelling. Also, I didn't like the book's ending.
That said, it's clear the author is taking IQ in a new direction, and I'm curious to see where that will lead.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
May 27, 2020
The IQ series is one of the more unique mystery series I listen to. Between the setting and the characters, it’s vastly different from the standard police procedural. This time, IQ is forced to solve a murder. The police are sure that Christina, the daughter of an arms dealer, has committed the crime. And yes, she was a witness to the murder. But she also has multiple personality disorder and “she” wasn’t there the entire time. IQ is at a loss on how to proceed, but he doesn’t have the option of dropping the case.
Ides gives us one of the best descriptions of MPO I’ve ever heard. And Christine and her “alts” worked as real characters. He also does a great job of getting inside the minds of everyone, not just IQ. I’m fact, we spend a lot of time in everyone’s head, good and bad alike.
If you don’t like commentary mixed with your stories, you won’t like this. I’m a big fan of commentaries, I like to feel like I’ve learned something. In this case, the characters weigh in on gangs, drugs and white nationalism.
This is a much darker story than the prior IQ books. Isaiah careens from one ethical quandary to another. But I found the ending mildly unsatisfying and I’m not sure where the book will go from here.
Be prepared for multiple storylines and a lot of characters. This doesn’t work as a stand-alone. These books need to be read in order.
This book has a new narrator, Zeno Robinson, from the earlier books. He does a good job.
Ides gives us one of the best descriptions of MPO I’ve ever heard. And Christine and her “alts” worked as real characters. He also does a great job of getting inside the minds of everyone, not just IQ. I’m fact, we spend a lot of time in everyone’s head, good and bad alike.
If you don’t like commentary mixed with your stories, you won’t like this. I’m a big fan of commentaries, I like to feel like I’ve learned something. In this case, the characters weigh in on gangs, drugs and white nationalism.
This is a much darker story than the prior IQ books. Isaiah careens from one ethical quandary to another. But I found the ending mildly unsatisfying and I’m not sure where the book will go from here.
Be prepared for multiple storylines and a lot of characters. This doesn’t work as a stand-alone. These books need to be read in order.
This book has a new narrator, Zeno Robinson, from the earlier books. He does a good job.
February 19, 2020
This just wasn’t my kind of book. I thought it was a hot mess. Too many plot threads, characters and fight scenes. It���s sad how badly these books have deteriorated from the first book in the series.
March 21, 2020
5.5/10
I think this one nailed the coffin in the head on this series for me. I wasn't blown away with the last one with this series on a downward curve of enjoyment for me but this was just a bit of a nondescript outing and some of the character traits just weren't there or didn't feel as good as they had in the first couple of books.
I felt some of the characters and narrative grate on me whereas that hadn't been the case previously. I found that some of the charm of IQ and his unique skill set had been diminished on previous novels but this just seem to put him on the back burner completely making him just a regular guy who helps people out.
There were a few enjoyable bits and I think my liking of the original novel made me bump the score of this one up to 3 instead of my original 2 but if there was a half star option this would definitely have taken it. The series is done for me but I wouldn't be against reading some Joe Ide down the line if he were to try something new.
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy
I think this one nailed the coffin in the head on this series for me. I wasn't blown away with the last one with this series on a downward curve of enjoyment for me but this was just a bit of a nondescript outing and some of the character traits just weren't there or didn't feel as good as they had in the first couple of books.
I felt some of the characters and narrative grate on me whereas that hadn't been the case previously. I found that some of the charm of IQ and his unique skill set had been diminished on previous novels but this just seem to put him on the back burner completely making him just a regular guy who helps people out.
There were a few enjoyable bits and I think my liking of the original novel made me bump the score of this one up to 3 instead of my original 2 but if there was a half star option this would definitely have taken it. The series is done for me but I wouldn't be against reading some Joe Ide down the line if he were to try something new.
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy
February 1, 2020
Hi Five is the fourth book in Ide’s IQ series about a sort-of-Detective genius kid who solves crimes. Issac Quintabe or IQ as he is colloquially known is a kind of inner city hood Sherlock Holmes. Set in Long Beach and other parts of Southern California —although East Long Beach is actually a fine middle class area, not a gang-infested hood, the series at its best shows how many good decent people are caught in the crossfire of the hoodlums in their declining neighborhoods and only need IQ’s helping hand. This book features IQ dealing with a woman who has five different personalities and is a murder suspect. Which one if her alters (alternate personalities) is responsible it is she just a convenient scapegoat. IQ also deals with bro-Nazis, gun smugglers, and some personal upheaval, all of which intersect. This one lacked a bit of the innocence of the first novels in the series where you really felt it was just a local kid making a difference.
February 5, 2020
This 4th offering in Ide’s IQ series is jammed pack with characters from the East Long Beach area of Los Angeles. Isaiah Quintabe (IQ) is the unlicensed private detective who uses his amazing intellect and powers of deduction to solve crimes for his poor neighbors. Juanell Dodson (hmm-Dodson rhymes with Watson) is back helping IQ, and he needs all the help he can get.
There is the case of identifying the shooter that gunned down Beaumont, the local store owner. But bigger than that is the case of who killed Tyler Barnes. Tyler was Angus Byrne’s right-hand-man in his illegal arms dealing business and Angus wants revenge. This nasty piece-of-work is willing to maim the violinist Stella McDaniels (and IQ’s girlfriend) in order to compel IQ to work the case. There is a witness to the shooting, but Angus’s daughter Christina suffers Multiple Personality Disorder and the terror of the shooting caused her to shift among her several ‘alters’, so IQ will need to interrogate each of her five personalities (submissive Pearl, flamboyant Marlene, drummer Jasper, and Bertrand) in order to get a complete account. I’m sure the ‘alters’ will be cooperative—oh wait—probably not.
Where there are guns in East Long Beach, there are also gangs. Every ethnicity seems to have their own, from the White Nationals to the Cambodians. IQ will have to use all of his skills to navigate this dangerous world in order to find answers he needs.
Ide seems to realize that his main character needs a new venue to continue to grow. He concludes his story with IQ driving away from L.A. I hope that Ide’s originality, humor and witty dialogue return in his next offering. Plus, Ide had so many sub-plots and character asides in this one that the main narrative floundered.
There is the case of identifying the shooter that gunned down Beaumont, the local store owner. But bigger than that is the case of who killed Tyler Barnes. Tyler was Angus Byrne’s right-hand-man in his illegal arms dealing business and Angus wants revenge. This nasty piece-of-work is willing to maim the violinist Stella McDaniels (and IQ’s girlfriend) in order to compel IQ to work the case. There is a witness to the shooting, but Angus’s daughter Christina suffers Multiple Personality Disorder and the terror of the shooting caused her to shift among her several ‘alters’, so IQ will need to interrogate each of her five personalities (submissive Pearl, flamboyant Marlene, drummer Jasper, and Bertrand) in order to get a complete account. I’m sure the ‘alters’ will be cooperative—oh wait—probably not.
Where there are guns in East Long Beach, there are also gangs. Every ethnicity seems to have their own, from the White Nationals to the Cambodians. IQ will have to use all of his skills to navigate this dangerous world in order to find answers he needs.
Ide seems to realize that his main character needs a new venue to continue to grow. He concludes his story with IQ driving away from L.A. I hope that Ide’s originality, humor and witty dialogue return in his next offering. Plus, Ide had so many sub-plots and character asides in this one that the main narrative floundered.
February 4, 2020
I am sooooo disappointed in this book. I was very much excited about its release but it missed the mark. I am not sure if I have just read too many of these but it felt repetitive and the writing was superficial and meandering. The characters, especially our wonderful IQ, were hollow and caricatures. It was more or less a hot mess. Felt like he rushed to get it out (perhaps pressured to publish quickly given the success of earlier books). I may not read anymore in this series if they are as poorly written as this one. I didn’t give a fig about any of the characters and there were way too many subplots going on that didn’t really lead to anything relevant.
January 30, 2020
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Man is unreliable. We might believe that there is no creature with a better mind to gobble up knowledge and spread it to others than humans but the mind itself is as tricky as it can ever get. Not only are our cognitive processes so complex and flawed that it can be tricked to believe things that do not exist but our memory is a leaking tank, all this without taking into account mental disorders. Now imagine if your mind wasn’t simply a single entity but one with multiple compartments. Imagine if each compartment wasn’t always accessible as well. Imagine if you were not one person but five. Author Joe Ide continues to expand his detective series with a fourth installment that presents his Afro-American protagonist with a rare and complex situation where the only witness to a crime is actually five.
What is Hi Five about? Private investigator Isaiah Quintabe, also known as IQ, returns to the scene, this time unwillingly, as Angus Byrne, the biggest arms dealer on the West Coast, blackmails him into solving a case involving his daughter Christiana who remains the sole witness to the shooting murder of an employee of her father. Unfortunately for Isaiah Quintabe, Angus Byrne wouldn’t mind threatening the life of his new girlfriend if he doesn’t solve this case as soon as possible. The tricky part in all this is that Christiana isn’t like any other woman as he discovers that she has multiple personalities, specifically five: Pearl, Bertrand, Marlene, Jasper, and Christiana. With each of them having exclusive knowledge on the events that unfolded in her very shop, it’s up to Isaiah Quintabe and his buddies to find the answers they so desperately seek before it’s too late.
Cleverly putting a character with multiple personalities at the center of the mystery was a bold move that made for an exciting and entertaining adventure. Author Joe Ide succeeds in turning Christiana’s character into a living enigma and masterfully conveys her transformation from one alter to another throughout the story. Although Isaiah Quintabe might be one of the smartest dudes in East Long Beach, California, he’s quickly caught off guard by this situation but doesn’t shy away from his witty and versatile ways as he shows his cleverness throughout this quagmire. Although the multiple personalities do bring into play a much more comedic tone to the story, the story isn’t hollow of heavier themes, especially those that look into characters’ relationships and their tough decision-making predicaments.
With both familiar and new characters tossed into the mix, the story doesn’t, however, revolve only around this mystery as it also incorporates multiple subplots that help deepen the characterization of countless characters—although this might also be its greatest flaw as it struggles to maintain a truly addictive pacing. Amongst these personas is Isaiah Quitabe’s once-sidekick Juanell Dodson—who used to play a role akin to Watson for Sherlock—who goes through a tough time as an individual within society and as a family man. One of the greatest fortes of this series does lie in the banter that is hilarious beyond understanding and is often circumscribed within a hood-level dialect. It would be a lie to not mention the number of times these characters would zestfully disrespect each other without any restraints. To put it simply, author Joe Ide draws his characters with near perfection for his detective series and makes them somehow relatable despite their peculiar socioeconomic statuses.
Hi Five is an engrossing mystery with new and old faces set in author Joe Ide’s IQ detective series and focuses on a witness with multiple personalities.
Thank you to Hachette Book Group Canada for sending me a copy for review!
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
April 9, 2023
Ide continues to deliver on many levels. His writing is evocative, clever, and laced with humor. His characters are outrageous and yet real and fundamentally human. His storylines are complex and well-served by IQ, the Sherlock Holmes of East Long Beach. Here, a local gangsters daughter is a accused of murder. She has multiple personalities, so when she says she doesn't remember what happened, IQ has to find and question her other selves. The usual gun-toting, testosterone-fueled gangstas apply their usual heavy hands.
March 7, 2021
left it after 15% too messy. jumping to too many side stories . maybe will try another of his thrillers.
August 3, 2020
2 Stars. Very sad.
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
1. Too many obvious clues that Isaiah misses, again and again.
2. Far too many plots and subplots.
3. The dialogue is often repetitive.
4. The action sequences are drawn out and often dull.
5. No good quotes.
A real disappointment. I gave up halfway through.
DNF
Sal's Walther PPQ .22 with a Q El Camino suppressor
Full size image here
.
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
1. Too many obvious clues that Isaiah misses, again and again.
2. Far too many plots and subplots.
3. The dialogue is often repetitive.
4. The action sequences are drawn out and often dull.
5. No good quotes.
A real disappointment. I gave up halfway through.
DNF
Sal's Walther PPQ .22 with a Q El Camino suppressor
Full size image here
.
May 6, 2020
I decided to give Joe Ide another chance after being somewhat disappointed by Righteous which I read a couple of months ago. I'm glad I did. This one was a definite improvement. It had an interesting plot and well-developed characters and Ide's protagonist, Isaiah Quintabe (IQ), comes into clearer focus in this one.
Angus Byrne is one of the biggest, maybe the biggest, dealers in illicit arms sales on the West Coast, and his right-hand man has just been murdered, mowed down while in Angus's daughter Christiana's boutique shop where he was having a suit fitted. There seem to be few clues and the police are focusing on Christiana as their number one suspect.
This is an unacceptable situation for Angus for several reasons; first and foremost because she is his daughter. He is desperate to have her cleared and free of the police's gaze because she really could not withstand such investigation. Christiana was abused as a child and the result is that now she suffers from multiple personality disorder. She is inhabited by at least five distinct personalities. She was present and a witness at the murder, but the first question is, which personality was actually there and what did she or he see?
Angus is not content to simply approach IQ and hire him to investigate; instead, he must coerce him. IQ has a new girlfriend who is a talented violinist. Angus threatens to crush her hands so badly she'll never be able to play again unless IQ can clear his daughter.
Isaiah has no doubt that the old man will fulfill his threat and he sets about trying to find out what really happened at the shop and hoping that that will prove Christiana innocent. At first, he doesn't understand that she has multiple personalities. When he does come to understand that, he is flummoxed. How will he ever be able to even interview all the personalities to find out which one was there and what she or he saw?
In his desperation, he calls on his old friend and former partner, Dodson, to help out. Then, to complicate matters even further, Grace, the love of Isaiah's life, returns to town from Arizona. And it turns out that Angus is deeply into the white supremacist movement and he and his followers are constantly at war with the Hispanic and Asian gangs, as well as the African-American gangs in the East Long Beach area of Los Angeles. Why then did he go out of his way to hire a black detective to clear his daughter? Maybe there were no lily whites available or maybe IQ is the best and Angus only hires the best.
Joe Ide tells a complicated tale, maybe even a little more complicated than it had to be, but he hooked me early on and I was engrossed right up to the conclusion. Yes, this one was definitely better than Righteous.
Angus Byrne is one of the biggest, maybe the biggest, dealers in illicit arms sales on the West Coast, and his right-hand man has just been murdered, mowed down while in Angus's daughter Christiana's boutique shop where he was having a suit fitted. There seem to be few clues and the police are focusing on Christiana as their number one suspect.
This is an unacceptable situation for Angus for several reasons; first and foremost because she is his daughter. He is desperate to have her cleared and free of the police's gaze because she really could not withstand such investigation. Christiana was abused as a child and the result is that now she suffers from multiple personality disorder. She is inhabited by at least five distinct personalities. She was present and a witness at the murder, but the first question is, which personality was actually there and what did she or he see?
Angus is not content to simply approach IQ and hire him to investigate; instead, he must coerce him. IQ has a new girlfriend who is a talented violinist. Angus threatens to crush her hands so badly she'll never be able to play again unless IQ can clear his daughter.
Isaiah has no doubt that the old man will fulfill his threat and he sets about trying to find out what really happened at the shop and hoping that that will prove Christiana innocent. At first, he doesn't understand that she has multiple personalities. When he does come to understand that, he is flummoxed. How will he ever be able to even interview all the personalities to find out which one was there and what she or he saw?
In his desperation, he calls on his old friend and former partner, Dodson, to help out. Then, to complicate matters even further, Grace, the love of Isaiah's life, returns to town from Arizona. And it turns out that Angus is deeply into the white supremacist movement and he and his followers are constantly at war with the Hispanic and Asian gangs, as well as the African-American gangs in the East Long Beach area of Los Angeles. Why then did he go out of his way to hire a black detective to clear his daughter? Maybe there were no lily whites available or maybe IQ is the best and Angus only hires the best.
Joe Ide tells a complicated tale, maybe even a little more complicated than it had to be, but he hooked me early on and I was engrossed right up to the conclusion. Yes, this one was definitely better than Righteous.
June 29, 2021
Meet Christiana, Marlene, Pearl, Bertrand, and Jasper. They are all the same people, but each is very different. Christiana has multiple personalities and each alter has a role assisting the host to cope with her life. Since she was a child, her life has been shattered in pieces. Her head is filled with chaos, conflicts, noise, pain, migraines, and conflicting memories. Christiana’s father is the daughter of Angus Byrne, a big-time arms dealer. Christiana is either a witness or a suspect after Tyler Barnes, who is Angus’ finance and logistics employee, is shot and killed in front of her. Against his will and under threat of dismemberment of his violin playing girlfriend, IQ is dragged into investigate and find who murdered Tyler. IQ is a loner, prideful, and one very smart private investigator. Dodson is floundering in life and wants back in the game where he felt valued as an equal. Desperation has led Dodson to reach out to his former business partner, Deronda, who became successful after they split, and to team up again with IQ. IQ’s former girlfriend, Grace, and the love his life has resurfaced with her dog, Ruffian, after a two years’ absence and IQ is desperately searching for her. Things became chaotic with killers, guns, and gangs on the loose. When IQ starts losing it and going off the deep end, the story became even more implausible. Also, there are too many stories going on such as the hardworking store owner who was wounded during a gang war and Wrecking Yard Owner TK’s courtship. IQ’s ranking has tanked. I was impressed with some of the characters and ideas but it spiraled out of control. I am giving him a C. 3 stars.
March 1, 2020
There is what seems like the mother of all errors in the first twelve pages of this book, where a character who's been shot is "hurt bad, doctors don't know if he's going to make it" and is then referred to as dead immediately after that and either as dead or in past tense for the rest of the chapter and that was so weird it took me a while to move on with the book. I'm officially tired of the Isaiah/Grace romance angle and what I really want is more of Ide's cast of characters. At this point I could read a whole book without IQ, one that's all Dodson and Cherise (I'd read 500+ pages of a Dodson and Cherise spinoff, I love those two), Deronda and whatever's going to happen with her son, even TK and Gloria's inexplicable yet budding relationship, and every scene set by narration from Junior. "Be gone, you felonious bitch, before I grab you by your giblets and ensconce your ass on outta here."
March 8, 2020
Isaiah Quintabe (aka IQ), is a quasi PI and modern day Sherlock. In Hi Five, the fourth installment of the series, IQ is forced to look into a locked-room-type-scenario in which a promising underworld figure is slain in a cold and clinical manner;the only ‘witness’, an arms’ dealers’ daughter, Christiania, who happens to have multiple personalities, all polar opposites of one another. IQ’s immense powers of deduction, and fast ability to fact-find are tested to the extreme in a case he’d rather not have anything to do with.
This one took a little while to grow on me. Sure, Christiania is an intriguing character who adds complexity to the case, but early on, much of the action and plotting was lost in favor of the author’s social commentary on racism, mental health, gun control, and poverty. All that was built with Christiania as suspect and semi-victim was lost in the outside noise. Luckily, the story steadily took precedence and Hi Five, in the end, felt right at home alongside the other three volumes in the series.
This one took a little while to grow on me. Sure, Christiania is an intriguing character who adds complexity to the case, but early on, much of the action and plotting was lost in favor of the author’s social commentary on racism, mental health, gun control, and poverty. All that was built with Christiania as suspect and semi-victim was lost in the outside noise. Luckily, the story steadily took precedence and Hi Five, in the end, felt right at home alongside the other three volumes in the series.
January 6, 2020
IQ is back! So is Grace, the girl of his dreams. Problem is, he met someone while she was gone, the concert violist Stella McDaniels. Angus Byrne, a black market arms dealer, has threatened to break Stella’s hands if IQ doesn’t find the evidence to exonerate his daughter, Christiana, from murder charges before she is arrested. Christiana is no help mounting a defense even though she witnessed the murder. Suffering from multiple personality disorder, each of her alternative identities saw bits of what happened and for unfathomable reasons, some of them don’t want to cooperate. So IQ has to solve the riddle on his own before it is too late. The story is a well-paced page turner with an ending that harkens new beginnings.
November 18, 2024
This one isn't doing it for me. DNF @ 26%.
July 6, 2021
This was pretty good but not my favorite in the series. The narration was great, but the actual story wasn't as interesting to me. There is the seed of problem with Deronda, a secondary character that I enjoy every time she shows up in the story that I am looking forward to hopefully being solved in the next book.
Where you can find me:
•(♥).•*Monica Is Reading*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @monicaisreading
Instagram: @readermonica
Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase
Where you can find me:
•(♥).•*Monica Is Reading*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @monicaisreading
Instagram: @readermonica
Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase
February 8, 2020
If you have not started this series and you like thrillers and/or mysteries and can handle language and shit happening, start with book #1. I think this, book #4, is the best so far.
May 30, 2020
I like this book. I like IQ, the hero. Of the four books in the series, I found this one to be repetitive, many of the situations felt familiar. Joe Ide risks becoming formulaic.
His villains were pretty thin. His female multi-personality / victim was embellished, but still thin.
Where Ide excels is portraying his own neighborhood, the difficulties introverts have in relationships, how black men mature, develop and grow, and how IQ processes thinking outside the box. Those excellencies kept me reading.
The ending tells me Ide may be contemplating letting IQ go and moving on to other novels. I hope not. I hope he gets a refreshed vision and brings IQ back, allowing him to grow, mature and find his happiness while he solves crimes and makes his neighborhood a better place.
His villains were pretty thin. His female multi-personality / victim was embellished, but still thin.
Where Ide excels is portraying his own neighborhood, the difficulties introverts have in relationships, how black men mature, develop and grow, and how IQ processes thinking outside the box. Those excellencies kept me reading.
The ending tells me Ide may be contemplating letting IQ go and moving on to other novels. I hope not. I hope he gets a refreshed vision and brings IQ back, allowing him to grow, mature and find his happiness while he solves crimes and makes his neighborhood a better place.
June 17, 2021
Gritty California murder mystery where the only witness to the murder is a woman with multiple personality disorder. Who wouldn’t love that set-up?
December 18, 2024
I practically inhaled this book. Despite what the start and finish dates say I basically read this in 24 hours. I think that’s a new record. It’s not wall to wall action but it is the most serious situation our hero, IQ, has ever found himself in. Plus the love of his life returns to further complicate things. This is still one of the most refreshing crime series’s out there but, from the way this one ended, the author is really changing things up.
February 24, 2020
“Hi Five” is book four in Joe Ide’s “IQ” series. Familiar characters run throughout the narrative, but new readers can easily follow along as Isaiah Quintabe, “IQ” struggles with gangs, guns, and pandemonium in Long Beach, CA. A glimpse at the cover lets readers know that this time, the women in IQ’s life will be prominent.
Ide creates complex and diverse characters, and although there is plenty of action, this book is really about those characters. The self-confident, energetic, savior of the disenfranchised is gone, and instead IQ finds himself struggling with both professional direction and personal relationships. He is still haunted by the murder of his beloved brother, Marcus, but he is also conflicted and hesitant about the present, and very unsure about the future. He agonizes over his connections with people, especially his growing attachment to both Grace and Stella. His relationship with long-time friend Juanell Dodson is also stalled, in limbo even, as Dodson struggles as well with his new role as a father but still longs for his old carefree life as IQ’s detective sidekick and partner.
The action side of the book is intense, reckless, and violent. Of course, there is also “the case” that IQ must solve. This time IQ is not seeking justice for the excluded underdog, but the exoneration of a kingpin's daughter who is accused of murder. Along the way, there are blackmail threats against innocent bystanders, ethnic gang conflicts, weapons sales, and just “regular” gang warfare on all sides.
In the end, after the dust settles, and the ruminants of violence are behind him, IQ travels down the path that is his life and must make decisions. He reflects on what has been and what might be to come. He must choose a direction for his life, but which. Joe Ide keeps readers waiting for the next book.
Ide creates complex and diverse characters, and although there is plenty of action, this book is really about those characters. The self-confident, energetic, savior of the disenfranchised is gone, and instead IQ finds himself struggling with both professional direction and personal relationships. He is still haunted by the murder of his beloved brother, Marcus, but he is also conflicted and hesitant about the present, and very unsure about the future. He agonizes over his connections with people, especially his growing attachment to both Grace and Stella. His relationship with long-time friend Juanell Dodson is also stalled, in limbo even, as Dodson struggles as well with his new role as a father but still longs for his old carefree life as IQ’s detective sidekick and partner.
The action side of the book is intense, reckless, and violent. Of course, there is also “the case” that IQ must solve. This time IQ is not seeking justice for the excluded underdog, but the exoneration of a kingpin's daughter who is accused of murder. Along the way, there are blackmail threats against innocent bystanders, ethnic gang conflicts, weapons sales, and just “regular” gang warfare on all sides.
In the end, after the dust settles, and the ruminants of violence are behind him, IQ travels down the path that is his life and must make decisions. He reflects on what has been and what might be to come. He must choose a direction for his life, but which. Joe Ide keeps readers waiting for the next book.
January 7, 2020
Isaiah is pulled into another deadly mess, this time against his will. He will compromise everything as he tries to help a woman with multiple personality disorder and juggles his own complicated love life.
That’s right – Isaiah still has a love life!
I didn’t love book four as wholeheartedly as I did Wrecked, which was my favorite of the series so far. There are a lot of elements that reflect the current cultural moment (neo-Nazis included, ugh), leavened by moments of joy at glimpses of my old neighborhood favorites, Dodson and Deronda.
This is a series I’ll stick to for a good long while yet – though I have no clue where it’s going based on that ending.
P.S. - does anyone else think that Joe Ide is trolling us all by calling the fourth book “Hi Five”?
Received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
That’s right – Isaiah still has a love life!
I didn’t love book four as wholeheartedly as I did Wrecked, which was my favorite of the series so far. There are a lot of elements that reflect the current cultural moment (neo-Nazis included, ugh), leavened by moments of joy at glimpses of my old neighborhood favorites, Dodson and Deronda.
This is a series I’ll stick to for a good long while yet – though I have no clue where it’s going based on that ending.
P.S. - does anyone else think that Joe Ide is trolling us all by calling the fourth book “Hi Five”?
Received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 21, 2019
I adored the first book in this series featuring Isaiah Quintabe (IQ) by Joe Ide, named after its lead character. I was a little disappointed by the second, Righteous but enjoyed the third, Wrecked, Which brings us to Ide's latest release and the fourth instalment, Hi Five.
Interestingly I think what I struggled with in the second novel was the increased involvement of IQ's childhood friend (and kinda loveable rogue) Juanell Dodson. Dodson plays a larger role in this book again but I'm finding myself becoming accustomed to the fact he jousts well with IQ, even if it means the latter no longer seems to be quite the scary-smart and savvy character I initially fell in love with.
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
Interestingly I think what I struggled with in the second novel was the increased involvement of IQ's childhood friend (and kinda loveable rogue) Juanell Dodson. Dodson plays a larger role in this book again but I'm finding myself becoming accustomed to the fact he jousts well with IQ, even if it means the latter no longer seems to be quite the scary-smart and savvy character I initially fell in love with.
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
July 16, 2020
Review to followThe IQ series of books by Joe Ide are amongst my favorite series and the latest book in this series, Hi Five stand up to the strength of this series.
Isiah and Dobson are up to their old and new tricks in an attempt to help as many as they can while remaining alive themselves. Set to a great city, backdrop with atmospheric prose and cinematic writing, Hi Five is one of my favorites in this series.
I received an advanced review copy of this audiobook from the publisher, via NetGalley, for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Isiah and Dobson are up to their old and new tricks in an attempt to help as many as they can while remaining alive themselves. Set to a great city, backdrop with atmospheric prose and cinematic writing, Hi Five is one of my favorites in this series.
I received an advanced review copy of this audiobook from the publisher, via NetGalley, for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
September 15, 2020
I've read all the books in this series and I think they are getting progressively worse. This one is just plain bad, gratuitously profane, juvenile, and sloppy. We learn that the main character's birthday is November 3rd: "a Sagittarius." You don't say! He later barricades a door with 60-pound sacks of cement mix. He's exhausted but satisfied after laying six of them: "Three hundred eighty pounds' worth." Good grief. I could go on but why bother? It's sloppy and stupid. Find something better to do.
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